


The Romans read BoO

by Darkstarnight02



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Blood of Olympus, Books, Camp Jupiter (Percy Jackson), Camp Jupiter Reads the Books, Closeted Nico di Angelo, Lesbian Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Lesbian Thalia Grace, Multi, Octavian is an Asshole, Protective Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Read, Reading, Reading the Books, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:41:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28918521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkstarnight02/pseuds/Darkstarnight02
Summary: A few weeks after the Titan War, the Romans are told to meet in the senate house and read a book.  They are also told that Nico Di Angelo, the visiting Ambassador of Pluto, must be there.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Calypso/Leo Valdez, Gleeson Hedge/Mellie, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Jason Grace/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano(past)(one-sided), Nico di Angelo & Gleeson Hedge & Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Nico di Angelo & Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Thalia Grace/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	The Romans read BoO

Reyna sat in her office, doing work as usual. The second Titan war had just ended, and since now, she and Jason were both Praetors, she thought it could be a show of unity and power if they became a couple. Not to mention, they had been best friends for years, and the son of Jupiter was really attractive.

Suddenly, there was a sound like a _slap_ , and the two Praetors looked up. Reyna noticed a book on her desk. The cover was completely black, and the writing was in glittering gold. On top of it, was a note. 

Reyna delicately pealed off the note and read it aloud to her colleague. "Dear Praetors, we would like it if you would call a senate meeting with the entire camp and read this book together. Nico Di Angelo must be present. Someone will explain everything once you are all there, and we will send guests from time to time. Yes, this book is from the future. Deal with it. XOXO, the best gods, Mercury, Diana, and Apollo. P.S. Diana did not right the note, it was her idiot brothers."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Um, alright then?"

Everyone was confused, sitting in the senate house. Some centurions were just relieved they didn't have to wear their togas, but there were a lot of campers there. Nico sat next to his sister, who was sitting with some of her friends from the fifth cohort. Hazel appeared to be having a very awkward conversation with the newest probatio, Frank Zhang. 

"Praetors, why are we here?" Octavian demanded. The hall quieted down. 

"The gods have sent us a request," Jason said. The legionaries seemed too stunned to speak. "Diana, Mercury, and Apollo sent us a message suggesting we read aloud this book to the entire camp in the senate house. They, um, also said they would be sending us guests during the reading, and that our Ambassador of Pluto, Nico Di Angelo, had to be present."

Heads swiveled in his direction. "And why is that?" Nico asked. 

"We do not know," Reyna said, still feeling a bit eerie around the son of Hades, "Now, Jason will read first. The name of the book is The Blood of Olympus"

The murmuring stopped as Jason opened the book. 

"Chapter one," he read, then paused before continuing, "Jason."

"Wow, man, that sucks," Dakota snorted, but Gwen slapped him on the arm and he shut up. 

" **Jason hated being old**." 

A few people chuckled, thinking about an old, wrinkled up Jason. 

" **His joints hurt. His legs shook. As he tried to climb the hill, his lungs rattled like a box of rocks. He couldn’t see his face, thank goodness, but his fingers were gnarled and bony. Bulging blue veins webbed the backs of his hands. He even had that old-man smell – mothballs and chicken soup. How was that possible? He’d gone from sixteen to seventy-five in a matter of seconds, but the old-man smell happened instantly, like Boom. Congratulations! You stink!** "

Some were frowning in confusion, now, wondering how that was possible. 

" **"Almost there." Piper smiled at him. "You’re doing great."**

 **Easy for her to say. Piper and Annabeth were disguised as lovely Greek serving maidens. Even in their white sleeveless gowns and laced sandals, they had no trouble navigating the rocky path. Piper’s mahogany hair was pinned up in a braided spiral. Silver bracelets adorned her arms. She resembled an ancient statue of her mom, Aphrodite, which Jason found a little intimidating.** "

Nico paled the moment he heard the name 'Annabeth', and everyone else in the room paled when they heard the name 'Aphrodite'. 

"A Graecus!" Octavian bellowed, "This is uncalled for!"

"Calm down, Octavian," Reyna frowned, sure she knew that name from somewhere, "It will probably explain in the book."

" **Dating a beautiful girl was nerve-racking enough. Dating a girl whose mom was the goddess of love … well, Jason was always afraid he’d do something unromantic and Piper’s mom would frown down from Mount Olympus and change him into a feral hog.** "

Some people chuckled, but some were frowning, including Reyna. So many had expected they would get together, and now he was dating some greek daughter of Aphrodite?

" **Jason glanced uphill. The summit was still a hundred yards above.**

 **“Worst idea ever.” He leaned against a cedar tree and wiped his forehead. "Hazel’s magic is too good. If I have to fight, I’ll be useless."** "

Some heads turned to Hazel, who was blushing and looking puzzled. It couldn't possibly mean her, could it?

" **"It won’t come to that," Annabeth promised. She looked uncomfortable in her serving-maiden outfit. She kept hunching her shoulders to keep the dress from slipping. Her pinned-up blonde bun had come undone in the back and her hair dangled like long spider legs. Knowing her hatred of spiders, Jason decided not to mention that.** "

Nico almost chuckled at the memory of his not-friend, but he barely even twitched. 

" **"We infiltrate the palace,"she said. "We get the information we need, and we get out."**

 **Piper set down her amphora, the tall ceramic wine jar in which her sword was hidden. "We can rest for a second. Catch your breath, Jason." From her waist cord hung her cornucopia – the magic horn of plenty. Tucked somewhere in the folds of her dress was her knife, Katoptris. Piper didn’t look dangerous, but if the need arose she could dual-wield Celestial bronze blades or shoot her enemies in the face with ripe mangoes.** "

The Romans looked impressed. Though children of Venus were still in the legion, they weren't as passionate about fighting as other legionaries. 

" **Annabeth slung her own amphora off her shoulder. She, too, had a concealed sword, but even without a visible weapon she looked deadly. Her stormy grey eyes scanned the surroundings, alert for any threat. If any dude asked Annabeth for a drink, Jason figured she was more likely to kick the guy in the _bifurcum_.**"

This time, Nico had to actually try not to laugh. That was definitely Annabeth—his Annabeth. The one he had known since that fateful day two winters ago when she jumped off a cliff in the woods of his boarding school. Of course, she had changed a lot since then, but still, it was the same daughter of Athena. 

" **He tried to steady his breathing. Below them, _Afales Bay_ glittered, the water so blue it might’ve been dyed with food coloring. A few hundred yards offshore, the Argo II rested at anchor. Its white sails looked no bigger than postage stamps, its ninety oars like toothpicks. Jason imagined his friends on deck following his progress, taking turns with Leo’s spyglass, trying not to laugh as they watched Grandpa Jason hobble uphill.**"

The Romans had more questions now. What was the Argo Two? Who was Leo? Where were they? What's going on?

" **"Stupid Ithaca," he muttered. He supposed the island was pretty enough.**

**A spine of forested hills twisted down its centre. Chalky white slopes plunged into the sea. Inlets formed rocky beaches and harbors where red-roofed houses and white stucco churches nestled against the shoreline. The hills were dotted with poppies, crocuses and wild cherry trees. The breeze smelled of blooming myrtle. All very nice – except the temperature was about a hundred and five degrees. The air was as steamy as a Roman bathhouse.**

**It would’ve been easy for Jason to control the winds and fly to the top of the hill, but _nooo_. For the sake of stealth, he had to struggle along as an old dude with bad knees and chicken-soup stink. **

**He thought about his last climb, two weeks ago, when Hazel and he had faced the bandit _Sciron_ on the cliffs of Croatia. At least then Jason had been at full strength. What they were about to face would be much worse than a bandit. **

**"You sure this is the right hill?" he asked. "Seems kind of – I don’t know – quiet."**

**Piper studied the ridge line. Braided in her hair was a bright blue harpy feather – a souvenir from last night’s attack. The feather didn’t exactly go with her disguise, but Piper had earned it, defeating an entire flock of demon chicken ladies by herself while she was on duty. She downplayed the accomplishment, but Jason could tell she felt good about it. The feather was a reminder that she wasn’t the same girl she’d been last winter, when they’d first arrived at Camp Half-Blood.** "

Nico tensed and the Romans narrowed their eyes. "Camp Half Blood?" Reyna asked, "That is the Greek demigod camp, then?"

"I suppose so," Jason shrugged. "Don't know why I went there, though."

Octavian looked like he wanted to speak, but Reyna cut him off with a glare. 

" **"The ruins are up there," she promised. "I saw them in Katoptris’s blade. And you heard what Hazel said. "The biggest–"**

 **"The biggest gathering of evil spirits I’ve ever sensed," Jason recalled. "Yeah, sounds awesome."** "

A few romans chuckled, happy to lighten the mood. 

" **After battling through the underground temple of Hades, the last thing Jason wanted was to deal with more evil spirits. But the fate of the quest was at stake. The crew of the Argo II had a big decision to make. If they chose wrong, they would fail, and the entire world would be destroyed.** "

They tensed. What was so bad they had to align with the Greeks? And how would the world be destroyed?And what was this battle at the temple of the Greek god of the Underworld? Hazel frowned, seeming more curious as her named continued to be mentioned. Nico couldn't help but feel proud of his little sister. 

" **Piper’s blade, Hazel’s magical senses and Annabeth’s instincts all agreed – the answer lay here in Ithaca, at the ancient palace of Odysseus, where a horde of evil spirits had gathered to await Gaia’s orders. The plan was to sneak among them, learn what was going on and decide the best course of action. Then get out, preferably alive.**

**Annabeth re-adjusted her golden belt. "I hope our disguises hold up. The suitors were nasty customers when they were alive. If they find out we’re demigods –"**

**"Hazel’s magic will work," Piper said. Jason tried to believe that.** "

Some people snorted, and Hazel blushed. She had never even tried any type of magic before, especially since she was always teased for being a 'witch girl', back in New Orleans. 

" **The suitors: a hundred of the greediest, evilest cut-throats who’d ever lived.** "

"Wow, maybe Octavian should meet them," Reyna mumbled under her breath, and those who heard her tried to cover their snorts. 

" **When Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, went missing after the Trojan War, this mob of B-list princes had invaded his palace and refused to leave, each one hoping to marry Queen Penelope and take over the kingdom. Odysseus managed to return in secret and slaughter them all – your basic happy homecoming. But, if Piper’s visions were right, the suitors were now back, haunting the place where they’d died.** "

"Well isn't this just cheerful," Dakota snorted into his blood red drink, and his friends laughed. 

" **Jason couldn’t believe he was about to visit the actual palace of Odysseus – one of the most famous Greek heroes of all time.** "

Jason blushed as he read it. Some of the romans were snorting about their Praetor being a geek. 

" **Then again, this whole quest had been one mind-blowing event after another. Annabeth herself had just come back from the eternal abyss of Tartarus.** "

The hall was silent. Some people had their hands clamped over their open mouths, and many, like Nico, though not as impressively, had gone pale. 

"She did what?" Nico asked in almost a whisper, but everyone could hear her. 

"That's impossible," Octavian scoffed, "These Graecus scum lie! No one has or will—"

"Octavian!" Reyna snapped, "This book was given to us by three Olympian gods! I hope you will respect that, considering one of them is your patron, Apollo."

Octavian reluctantly nodded, and Jason decided to keep reading. 

" **Given that, Jason decided maybe he shouldn’t complain about being an old man.  
"Well …" He steadied himself with his walking stick. "If I look as old as I feel, my disguise must be perfect. Let’s get going." **

**As they climbed, sweat trickled down his neck. His calves ached. Despite the heat, he began to shiver. And, try as he might, he couldn’t stop thinking about his recent dreams.**

**Ever since the House of Hades, they’d become more vivid. Sometimes Jason stood in the underground temple of Epirus, the giant Clytius looming over him, speaking in a chorus of disembodied voices: _It took all of you together to defeat me. What will you do when the Earth Mother opens her eyes?_** "

The Romans shivered, though rather curious about what this meant. 

" **Other times Jason found himself at the crest of Half-Blood Hill. Gaia the Earth Mother rose from the ground – a swirling figure of soil, leaves and stones. _Poor child_. Her voice resonated across the landscape, shaking the bedrock under Jason’s feet. _Your father is first among the gods, yet you are always second best – to your Roman comrades, to your Greek friends, even to your family. How will you prove yourself?_ **"

The Romans squirmed uncomfortably. 

" **His worst dream started in the courtyard of the Sonoma Wolf House. Before him stood the goddess Juno, glowing with the radiance of molten silver.**

**_Your life belongs to me_ , her voice thundered. _An appeasement from Zeus_. **

**Jason knew he shouldn’t look, but he couldn’t close his eyes as Juno went supernova, revealing her true godly form. Pain seared Jason’s mind. His body burned away in layers like an onion. Then the scene changed.**

**Jason was still at the Wolf House, but now he was a little boy – no more than two years old. A woman knelt before him, her lemony scent so familiar. Her features were watery and indistinct, but he knew her voice: bright and brittle, like the thinnest layer of ice over a fast stream.**

**_I will be back for you, dearest_ , she said. _I will see you soon_.**"

Jason winced. Many people at Camp Jupiter knew he had been there for a while, but not many knew that he had literally been raised by wolves, after being sacrificed to Juno. 

" **Every time Jason woke up from that nightmare, his face was beaded with sweat. His eyes stung with tears.**

**Nico di Angelo had warned them: the House of Hades would stir their worst memories, make them see things and hear things from the past. Their ghosts would become restless.**

**Jason had hoped that particular ghost would stay away, but every night the dream got worse.**

**Now he was climbing to the ruins of a palace where an army of ghosts had gathered.**

**_That doesn’t mean she’ll be there_ , Jason told himself. But his hands wouldn’t stop trembling. Every step seemed harder than the last.**"

The hall was silent. Jason stuttered every once in a while, though it had nothing to do with his dyslexia. Some people were stealing glances at Nico, but his face remained expressionless. 

" **"Almost there," Annabeth said. "Let’s –"**

**_BOOM_! The hillside rumbled.**

**Somewhere over the ridge, a crowd roared in approval, like spectators in a coliseum. The sound made Jason’s skin crawl. Not so long ago, he’d fought for his life in the Roman Colosseum before a cheering ghostly audience. He wasn’t anxious to repeat the experience.**

**"What was that explosion?" he wondered.**

**"Don’t know," Piper said. "But it sounds like they’re having fun. Let’s go make some dead friends."** That's the end of the chapter."

"She says that like the dead aren't great company," Nico said, taking the book from Jason. 

"You've made friends with dead people?" Jason asked, trying to be conversational. 

Nico shrugged, "I made friends with Minos once, but he was a manipulative asshole. Though, my dad got me a Zombie Chauffeur for my birthday once, Jules-Albert. He's pretty cool."

He took the silence from the Romans as an invitation to continue the reading. "Chapter two, Jason, again."

" **Naturally, the situation was worse than Jason expected.** **It wouldn’t have been any fun otherwise.**

**Peering through the olive bushes at the top of the rise, he saw what looked like an out-of-control zombie frat party.**

**The ruins themselves weren’t that impressive: a few stone walls, a weed-choked central courtyard, a dead-end stairwell chiseled into the rock. Some plywood sheets covered a pit and a metal scaffold supported a cracked archway.**

**But superimposed over the ruins was another layer of reality – a spectral mirage of the palace as it must have appeared in its heyday. Whitewashed stucco walls lined with balconies rose three stories high. Columned porticoes faced the central atrium, which had a huge fountain and bronze braziers.**

**At a dozen banquet tables, ghouls laughed and ate and pushed one another around. Jason had expected about a hundred spirits, but twice that many were milling about, chasing spectral serving girls, smashing plates and cups, and basically making a nuisance of themselves. Most looked like _Lares_ from Camp Jupiter – transparent purple wraiths in tunics and sandals.**"

Some of the Lares who had decided to stop by melted through the walls. 

" **A few revelers had decayed bodies with grey flesh, matted clumps of hair and nasty wounds. Others seemed to be regular living mortals – some in togas, some in modern business suits or army fatigues.**

**Jason even spotted one guy in a purple Camp Jupiter T-shirt and Roman legionnaire armor.**

**In the centre of the atrium, a grey-skinned ghoul in a tattered Greek tunic paraded through the crowd, holding a marble bust over his head like a sports trophy.**

**The other ghosts cheered and slapped him on the back. As the ghoul got closer, Jason noticed that he had an arrow in his throat, the feathered shaft sprouting from his Adam’s apple. Even more disturbing: the bust he was holding … was that Zeus?** "

The Romans growled in disgust and annoyance. 

" **It was hard to be sure. Most Greek god statues looked similar. But the bearded, glowering face reminded Jason very much of the giant Hippie Zeus in Cabin One at Camp Half-Blood.** "

Most of the Romans looked startled as Nico let out a soft chuckle. He didn't show emotion very much. 

" **"** **Our next offering!" the ghoul shouted, his voice buzzing from the arrow in his throat. “Let us feed the Earth Mother!”  
**

**The partiers yelled and pounded their cups. The ghoul made his way to the central fountain. The crowd parted, and Jason realized the fountain wasn’t filled with water. From the three-foot-tall pedestal, a geyser of sand spewed upward, arcing into an umbrella-shaped curtain of white particles before spilling into the circular basin.**

**The ghoul heaved the marble bust into the fountain. As soon as Zeus’s head passed through the shower of sand, the marble disintegrated like it was going through a wood chipper. The sand glittered gold, the color of ichor – godly blood. Then the entire mountain rumbled with a muffled _BOOM_ , as if belching after a meal. **

**The dead partygoers roared with approval.**

**"Any more statues?" the ghoul shouted to the crowd. "No? Then I guess we’ll have to wait for some real gods to sacrifice!"**

**His comrades laughed and applauded as the ghoul plopped himself down at the nearest feast table.** "

"That's horrible," more than one person could be heard muttering. 

" **Jason clenched his walking stick. "That guy just disintegrated my dad. Who does he think he is?"**

 **"I’m guessing that’s Antinous,"said Annabeth, "one of the suitors leaders. If I remember right, it was Odysseus who shot him through the neck with that arrow."** "

"Yeah, we didn't notice with the arrow sticking out of his neck," Leila muttered. 

" **Piper winced. "You’d think that would keep a guy down. What about all the others? Why are there so many?"**

**"I don’t know," Annabeth said. "Newer recruits for Gaia, I guess. Some must’ve come back to life before we closed the Doors of Death. Some are just spirits."**

**"Some are ghouls,"Jason said. "The ones with the gaping wounds and the grey skin, like Antinous … I’ve fought their kind before."**

**Piper tugged at her blue harpy feather. "Can they be killed?"** "

Nico snorted, "If any of you are anxious enough to get rid of the Lares, listen up. It's not so easy."

" **Jason remembered a quest he’d taken for Camp Jupiter years ago in San Bernardino. "Not easily. They’re strong and fast and intelligent. Also, they eat human flesh."**

 **"Fantastic," Annabeth muttered.** "

The Romans couldn't help but laugh. 

" **"I don’t see any option except to stick to the plan. Split up, infiltrate, find out why they’re here. If things go bad –"**

**"We use the backup plan," Piper said.**

**Jason hated the backup plan. Before they left the ship, Leo had given each of them an emergency flare the size of a birthday candle. Supposedly, if they tossed one in the air, it would shoot upward in a streak of white phosphorus, alerting the Argo II that the team was in trouble. At that point, Jason and the girls would have a few seconds to take cover before the ship’s catapults fired on their position, engulfing the palace in Greek fire and bursts of Celestial bronze shrapnel. Not the safest plan, but at least Jason had the satisfaction of knowing that he could call an air strike on this noisy mob of dead guys if the situation got dicey.**

**Of course, that was assuming he and his friends could get away. And assuming Leo’s doomsday candles didn’t go off by accident – Leo’s inventions sometimes did that – in which case the weather would get much hotter, with a ninety percent chance of fiery apocalypse.** "

The Romans raised an eyebrow at the interesting plan, and the use of celestial bronze. They usually used imperial gold, but it did make sense that celestial bronze could be used for more than weaponry. 

" **"Be careful down there," he told Piper and Annabeth. Piper crept around the left side of the ridge. Annabeth went right. Jason pulled himself up with his walking stick and hobbled towards the ruins.** "

"Oh, I almost forgot I was an old man," Jason muttered. 

" **He flashed back to the last time he’d plunged into a mob of evil spirits, in the House of Hades. If it hadn’t been for Frank Zhang and Nico di Angelo … Gods … Nico. Over the past few days, every time Jason sacrificed a portion of a meal to Jupiter, he prayed to his dad to help Nico.** "

Though Nico was a bit embarrassed at the recognition, he couldn't help but snort. "Not likely. You're dad think's I'm devils spawn, and he's not far off."

" **That kid had gone through so much, and yet he had volunteered for the most difficult job: transporting the Athena Parthenos statue to Camp Half-Blood.** "

Nico paused his reading as the Romans whispered among themselves about the Athena parthenos. It was a bit surprising to him, too, so he decided to read more. 

" **If he didn’t succeed, the Roman and Greek demigods would slaughter each other. Then, no matter what happened in Greece, the Argo II would have no home to return to.** "

Nico looked up. The Romans were quiet. Octavian looked a bit annoyed, like he was going to say something, but Nico said, "I'm just going to let that sink in for a minute."

When he was done, he kept reading. 

" **Jason passed through the palace’s ghostly gateway. He realized just in time that a section of mosaic floor in front of him was an illusion covering a ten-foot-deep excavation pit.  
**

 **He sidestepped it and continued into the courtyard. The two levels of reality reminded him of the Titan stronghold on Mount Othrys – a disorienting maze of black marble walls that randomly melted into shadow and solidified again. At least during that fight Jason had had a hundred legionnaires at his side. Now all he had was an old man’s body, a stick and two friends in slinky dresses.** "

The legionnaires gave him pitying looks, like they were sorry they couldn't be there. 

" **Forty feet ahead of him, Piper moved through the crowd, smiling and filling wineglasses for the ghostly revellers.**

**If she was afraid, she didn’t show it. So far the ghosts weren’t paying her any special attention. Hazel’s magic must have been working.**

**Over on the right, Annabeth collected empty plates and goblets. She wasn’t smiling.**

**Jason remembered the talk he’d had with Percy before leaving the ship. Percy had stayed aboard to watch for threats from the sea, but he hadn’t liked the idea of Annabeth going on this expedition without him – especially since it would be the first time they were apart since returning from Tartarus.** "

The hall went quiet again. Now, not only this Annabeth girl, but this Percy guy, too, had apparently escaped Tartarus. Nico faltered for a minute at the mention of Percy, but he quickly gathered himself and continued. 

" **He’d pulled Jason aside.**

**"Hey, man … Annabeth would kill me if I suggested she needed anybody to protect her."**

**Jason laughed. "Yeah, she would."**

**"But look out for her, okay?"**

**Jason squeezed his friend’s shoulder. "I’ll make sure she gets back to you safely."**

**Now Jason wondered if he could keep that promise.** "

Nico wanted to make a comment, like, 'well, if you survive this, you'll just get murdered, anyway', but he knew that no one else could know about his affiliation with the Greeks. Not yet, anyway. besides, the books would probably mention it. 

" **He reached the edge of the crowd.**

**A raspy voice cried, "IROS!"**

**Antinous, the ghoul with the arrow in his throat, was staring right at him. "Is that you, you old beggar?"**

**Hazel’s magic did its work. Cold air rippled across Jason’s face as the Mist subtly altered his appearance, showing the suitors what they expected to see.**

**"That’s me!"Jason said.**

**"Iros!" A dozen more ghosts turned towards him. Some scowled and gripped the hilts of their glowing purple swords.**

**Too late, Jason wondered if Iros was an enemy of theirs, but he’d already committed to the part. He hobbled forward, putting on his best cranky old man expression. "Guess I’m late to the party. I hope you saved me some food?"**

**One of the ghosts sneered in disgust. "Ungrateful old panhandler. Should I kill him, Antinous?"** "

"Iros is obviously some old beggar," Octavian said, but Nico just ignored him and kept reading. 

" **Jason’s neck muscles tightened. Antinous regarded him for three counts, then chuckled. "I’m in a good mood today. Come, Iros, join me at my table."**

**Jason didn’t have much choice. He sat across from Antinous while more ghosts crowded around, leering as if they expected to see a particularly vicious arm-wrestling contest.**

**Up close, Antinous’s eyes were solid yellow. His lips stretched paper-thin over wolfish teeth. At first, Jason thought the ghoul’s curly dark hair was disintegrating. Then he realized a steady stream of dirt was trickling from Antinous’s scalp, spilling over his shoulders. Clods of mud filled the old sword gashes in the ghoul’s grey skin. More dirt spilled from the base of the arrow wound in his throat.**

**_The power of Gaia_ , Jason thought. _The earth is holding this guy together_.**"

"On that happy note," the doors to the senate House opened and a familiar yet not figure marched in. Her skin was like cocoa and her hair the color of cinnamon. Her iris's were bright gold. She looked about twenty years old, and she was wearing the uniform of a Praetor, purple cape, and all. The Romans only gaped at her, and she grinned back, like she was trying not to laugh. 

"Well, hello there," she said, "I believe the letter mentioned they would be sending guests from time to time? I'll only be staying her until we're done reading about Jase."

"Who are you?" Reyna asked, though she was sure she knew the answer. 

"Oh, right," the woman blushed, "I'm Hazel Lavesque, I'm from about seven or eight years in the future. Daughter of Pluto, Praetor of New Rome, Champion of Hecate, One of the Seven, and so on and so on."

"You're," The younger Hazel stuttered, "You're me?"

Her older self grinned at her, "Yeah, um, you can just call me Goldy or something. Some of my friends call me that."

"Can we, um, ask you any questions?" Nico asked, and Goldy turned to him. 

She looked him over with a worried expression that reminded him of Bianca. "Nico, you have to eat food. And, yes, you can ask me three questions, but I may not be able to answer them. Also, raise your hands."

Surprisingly, only a few hands went up. 

"Gwen?"

"Do you have a significant other and how deep are you in the relationship?" she asked. 

Both Goldy and Hazel blushed. "Yeah, I'm engaged," she said, "We don't wear rings and stuff in the future. We dislike associating with marriage too much, or honoring Hera or Juno in general. Many demigods, including myself, have a distaste for her."

The Romans all frowned in confusion, while Nico thought of the cow droppings Hera had sent to Annabeth after one disagreement. She wasn't a particularly likable goddess. Frank was too busy being disappointed. He really liked Hazel, but she was taken, engaged. 

"And we get along with the Greeks?" Octavian sneered. Goldy narrowed her eyes at him. 

"Well, we almost went to war with them, no thanks to you," she said, "Apollo was actually punished because you were _descended_ from him. Let that sink in."

Octavian sneered and sat down, the Romans eyeing him wearily.

"How are you Praetor?" Larry asked, and Goldy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. 

"Um, well Reyna left about six years ago, and she chose me as her successor," Goldy said like it was obvious. 

"I don't finish my ten years if service?" Reyna asked. 

Goldy smiled slyly, "You found a better offer."

"The Greeks?" Jason asked. 

Goldy shook her head, "Not really. The Greeks don't have a city like New Rome, though. It's just a summer camp, though some people can stay year round. The average life expectancy before the war for Greek demigods was sixteen. Actually, I believe Annabeth has been working on some designs for a _New Athens_ , but I don't know how they plan to fit a city there. Well, those children of Hephaestus and Hecate are miracle workers."

"And you're a champion of Hecate?" Marilyn asked. 

Hazel zipped her lips, "No more questions."

" **Antinous slid a golden goblet and a platter of food across the table. "I didn’t expect to see you here, Iros. But I suppose even a beggar can sue for retribution. Drink. Eat."**

 **Thick red liquid sloshed in the goblet. On the plate sat a steaming brown lump of mystery meat. Jason’s stomach rebelled. Even if ghoul food didn’t kill him, his vegetarian girlfriend probably wouldn’t kiss him for a month.** "

Some of the Vegetarians, and Goldy, chuckled. 

" **He recalled what Notus the South Wind had told him: _A wind that blows aimlessly is no good to anyone._ **

**Jason’s entire career at Camp Jupiter had been built on careful choices. He mediated between demigods, listened to all sides of an argument, found compromises. Even when he chafed against Roman traditions, he thought before he acted. He wasn’t impulsive. Notus had warned him that such hesitation would kill him.**

**Jason had to stop deliberating and take what he wanted. If he was an ungrateful beggar, he had to act like one.** "

Some of the Romans seemed to study Jason, like they were thinking about how he did that. 

" **He ripped off a chunk of meat with his fingers and stuffed it in his mouth. He guzzled some red liquid, which thankfully tasted like watered-down wine, not blood or poison. Jason fought the urge to gag, but he didn’t keel over or explode.**

**"Yum!" He wiped his mouth. "Now tell me about this … what did you call it? Retribution? Where do I sign up?"**

**The ghosts laughed. One pushed his shoulder and Jason was alarmed that he could actually feel it. At Camp Jupiter, Lares had no physical substance. Apparently these spirits did – which meant more enemies who could beat, stab or decapitate him.** "

The Romans wrinkled their noses. That was disturbing, not to mention how casually he mentioned the possibility of being slaughtered. 

" **Antinous leaned forward. "Tell me, Iros, what do you have to offer? We don’t need you to run messages for us like in the old days. Certainly you aren’t a fighter. As I recall, Odysseus crushed your jaw and tossed you into the pigsty."**

 **Jason’s neurons fired. Iros … the old man who’d run messages for the suitors in exchange for scraps of food. Iros had been sort of like their pet homeless person. When Odysseus came home, disguised as a beggar, Iros thought the new guy was moving in on his territory. The two had started arguing …** "

"Honestly, I don't get how people on quests just randomly remember information, there would be too much pressure on me to even thing," Nathan said, and some people shrugged or nodded in agreement. 

" **"You made Iros –"Jason hesitated. "You made me fight Odysseus. You bet money on it. Even when Odysseus took off his shirt and you saw how muscular he was … you still made me fight him. You didn’t care if I lived or died!"**

**Antinous bared his pointed teeth. "Of course I didn’t care. I still don’t! But you’re here, so Gaia must have had a reason to allow you back into the mortal world. Tell me, why are you worthy of a share in our spoils?"**

**"What spoils?"**

**Antinous spread his hands. "The entire world, my friend. The first time we met here, we were only after Odysseus’s land, his money and his wife."** "

"I don't like this guy," Lavinia decided, causing a few people to snort.

" **"Especially his wife!" A bald ghost in ragged clothes elbowed Jason in the ribs. "That Penelope was a hot little honey cake!"**

 **Jason caught a glimpse of Piper serving drinks at the next table. She discreetly put her finger to her mouth in a gag me gesture, then went back to flirting with dead guys.** "

Goldy snorted, as did a few Romans. 

" **Antinous sneered. "Eurymachus, you whining coward. You never stood a chance with Penelope. I remember you blubbering and pleading for your life with Odysseus, blaming everything on me!"**

 **"Lot of good it did me." Eurymachus lifted his tattered shirt, revealing an inch-wide hole in the middle of his spectral chest. "Odysseus shot me in the heart, just because I wanted to marry his wife!"** "

'"Didn't they all want to marry his wife?" Marcus asked. 

"Yeah, but he killed all of them, too," Goldy shrugged. 

" **"At any rate …" Antinous turned to Jason. "We have gathered now for a much bigger prize. Once Gaia destroys the gods, we will divide up the remnants of the mortal world!"** "

The hall got quiet, and Nico reluctantly decided to keep reading. 

" **"Dibs on London!" yelled a ghoul at the next table.**

**"Montreal!"shouted another.**

**"Duluth!" yelled a third, which momentarily stopped the conversation as the other ghosts gave him confused looks.** "

Some people laughed at that, the tension slowly breaking. 

" **The meat and wine turned to lead in Jason’s stomach. "What about the rest of these … guests? I count at least two hundred. Half of them are new to me."**

**Antinous’s yellow eyes gleamed. "All of them are suitors for Gaia’s favour. All have claims and grievances against the gods or their pet heroes. That scoundrel over there is Hippias, former tyrant of Athens. He got deposed and sided with the Persians to attack his own countrymen. No morals whatsoever. He’d do anything for power."**

**"Thank you!" called Hippias.**

**"That rogue with the turkey leg in his mouth," Antinous continued, "that’s Hasdrubal of Carthage. He has a grudge to settle with Rome."**

**"Mhhmm,"said the Carthaginian.**

**"And Michael Varus –"** "

The room froze. " _The_ Michael Varus?" Reyna asked with wide eyes. 

"That's what it said," Nico said, "I guess he joined the forces of... Gaea."

"The earth mother?" Jason asked, "And this quest... she is rising?"

Goldy nodded solemnly, "Yeah, she is. Don't worry, we won."

" **Jason choked. "Who?"**

**Over by the sand fountain, the dark-haired guy in the purple T-shirt and legionnaire armor turned to face them. His outline was blurred, smoky and indistinct, so Jason guessed he was some form of spirit, but the legion tattoo on his forearm was clear enough: the letters SPQR, the double-faced head of the god Janus and six score marks for years of service.**

**On his breastplate hung the badge of praetorship and the emblem of the Fifth Cohort. Jason had never met Michael Varus. The infamous praetor had died in the 1980s.**

**Still, Jason’s skin crawled when he met Varus’s gaze. Those sunken eyes seemed to bore right through Jason’s disguise.**

**Antinous waved dismissively. "He’s a Roman demigod. Lost his legion’s eagle in … Alaska, was it? Doesn’t matter. Gaia lets him hang around. He insists he has some insight into defeating Camp Jupiter. But you, Iros – you still haven’t answered my question. Why should you be welcome among us?"** "

Murmers filled the hall, but quieted when Nico kept talking. 

" **Varus’s dead eyes had unnerved Jason. He could feel the Mist thinning around him, reacting to his uncertainty.**

**Suddenly Annabeth appeared at Antinous’s shoulder. "More wine, my lord? Oops!" She spilled the contents of a silver pitcher down the back of Antinous’s neck.**

**"Gahh!" The ghoul arched his spine. "Foolish girl! Who let you back from Tartarus?"**

**"A Titan, my lord." Annabeth dipped her head apologetically.** "

Nico interrupted himself and looked up to Goldy. "Was she telling the truth? She's been there, so she didn't have to lie?"

"What Titan would help her, though?" Octavian asked. 

"Bob," Nico said, and continued with their confusion, "Last winter, Iapitus was dipped in the Lethe, and when he came out, he was told his name was Bob, and then he became a janitor in my fathers palace. He's quite nice, actually. I believe he would have helped them, if they were in the pit."

Goldy solemnly nodded. "Yeah, it was Bob."

" **"May I bring you some moist towelettes? Your arrow is dripping."**

**"** **Begone!" Annabeth caught Jason’s eye – a silent message of support – then she disappeared in the crowd.**

**The ghoul wiped himself off, giving Jason a chance to collect his thoughts. He was Iros … former messenger of the suitors. Why would he be here? Why should they accept him?**

**He picked up the nearest steak knife and stabbed it into the table, making the ghosts around him jump.**

**"Why should you welcome me?"Jason growled. "Because I’m still running messages, you stupid wretches! I’ve just come from the House of Hades to see what you’re up to!"**

**That last part was true, and it seemed to give Antinous pause. The ghoul glared at him, wine still dripping from the arrow shaft in his throat.**

**"You expect me to believe Gaia sent you – a beggar – to check up on us?"**

**Jason laughed. "I was among the last to leave Epirus before the Doors of Death were closed! I saw the chamber where Clytius stood guard under a domed ceiling tiled with tombstones. I walked the jewel-and-bone floors of the Necromanteion!" That was also true.** "

Goldy shivered, and a few Romans sent Jason pitying looks, as if he had already gone there. None of them thought to comfort the older daughter of Pluto. 

" **Around the table, ghosts shifted and muttered.**

**So, Antinous …"Jason jabbed a finger at the ghoul. "Maybe you should explain to me why you’re worthy of Gaia’s favour. All I see is a crowd of lazy, dawdling dead folk enjoying themselves and not helping the war effort. What should I tell the Earth Mother?"**

**From the corner of his eye, Jason saw Piper flash him an approving smile.** "

"I like this Piper girl," Gwen decided. 

" **Then she returned her attention to a glowing purple Greek dude who was trying to make her sit on his lap.** "

Romans choked in disguest and cried in outrage. "She's not a stripper, you Greacus scum!"

"It's not like all Greeks are like that," Goldy defended, "I mean, old guys are gross, especially back then."

" **Antinous wrapped his hand around the steak knife Jason had impaled in the table. He pulled it free and studied the blade. "If you come from Gaia, you must know we are here under orders. Porphyrion decreed it." Antinous ran the knife blade across his palm. Instead of blood, dry dirt spilled from the cut. "You do know Porphyrion … ?"**

 **Jason struggled to keep his nausea under control. He remembered Porphyrion just fine from their battle at the Wolf House. "The giant king – green skin, forty feet tall, white eyes, hair braided with weapons. Of course I know him. He’s a lot more impressive than you."** "

Some people chuckled, while some were just shivering. 

" **He decided not to mention that the last time he’d seen the giant king, Jason had blasted him in the head with lightning.** "

The Romans nodded with approval, like that was the most reasonable thing to do when coming face to face with the giant king. 

" **For once, Antinous looked speechless, but his bald ghost friend Eurymachus put an arm around Jason’s shoulders. "Now, now, friend!" Eurymachus smelled like sour wine and burning electrical wires. His ghostly touch made Jason’s ribcage tingle. "I’m sure we didn’t mean to question your credentials! It’s just, well, if you’ve spoken with Porphyrion in Athens, you know why we’re here. I assure you, we’re doing exactly as he ordered!"  
**

 **Jason tried to mask his surprise. Porphyrion in Athens. Gaia had promised to pull up the gods by their roots. Chiron, Jason’s mentor at Camp Half-Blood, had assumed that meant that the giants would try to rouse the earth goddess at the original Mount Olympus.** "

"Chiron, the ancient trainer of Heroes?" Nathan asked. 

"Who else?" Goldy shrugged. 

" **But now … "The Acropolis,"Jason said. "The most ancient temples to the gods, in the middle of Athens. That’s where Gaia will wake."**

**"Of course!" Eurymachus laughed. The wound in his chest made a popping sound, like a porpoise’s blowhole. "And, to get there, those meddlesome demigods will have to travel by sea, eh? They know it’s too dangerous to fly over land."**

**"Which means they’ll have to pass this island,"Jason said.**

**Eurymachus nodded eagerly. He removed his arm from Jason’s shoulders and dipped his finger in his wineglass. "At that point, they’ll have to make a choice, eh?"**

**On the tabletop, he traced a coastline, red wine glowing unnaturally against the wood. He drew Greece like a mis-shapen hourglass – a large dangly blob for the northern mainland, then another blob below it, almost as large – the big chunk of land known as the Peloponnese.**

**Cutting between them was a narrow line of sea – the Straits of Corinth. Jason hardly needed a picture. He and the rest of the crew had spent the last day at sea studying maps.**

**‘The most direct route," Eurymachus said, "would be due east from here, across the Straits of Corinth. But if they try to go that way –"**

**"Enough," Antinous snapped. "You have a loose tongue, Eurymachus."** "

"No kidding," Gwen muttered, "All they need to do is get out of there alive and they have a direct path."

" **The ghost looked offended. "I wasn’t going to tell him everything! Just about the Cyclopes armies massed on either shore. And the raging storm spirits in the air. And those vicious sea monsters Keto sent to infest the waters. And of course if the ship got as far as Delphi –"**

 **"Idiot!" Antinous lunged across the table and grabbed the ghost’s wrist.** "

The Romans roared with laughter, Goldy included. A smile played on Nico's lips, but only barely. 

" **A thin crust of dirt spread from the ghoul’s hand, straight up Eurymachus’s spectral arm.**

 **"No!" Eurymachus yelped. "Please! I – I only meant –" The ghost screamed as the dirt covered his body like a shell, then cracked apart, leaving nothing but a pile of dust. Eurymachus was gone. Antinous sat back and brushed off his hands. The other suitors at the table watched him in wary silence.** "

Into the silence, Dakota said, "Okay, but what the fu—"

"Language, Dakota!" Goldy snapped, her cheeks a bit red like they usually were when someone swore. It wasn't as bad as the younger Hazel, though. 

"Yes, Praetor," Dakota quickly said, before his eyes went wide, "Woah."

Goldy blushed more. "Keep reading, Nico."

" **"Apologies, Iros." The ghoul smiled coldly. "All you need to know is this – the ways to Athens are well guarded, just as we promised. The demigods would either have to risk the straits, which are impossible, or sail around the entire Peloponnese, which is hardly much safer. In any event, it’s unlikely they will survive long enough to make that choice. Once they reach Ithaca, we will know. We will stop them here and Gaia will see how valuable we are. You can take that message back to Athens."** "

The Romans shifted uncomfortably. Those odds didn't sound too good. 

" **Jason’s heart hammered against his sternum. He’d never seen anything like the shell of earth that Antinous had summoned to destroy Eurymachus. He didn’t want to find out if that power worked on demigods.**

**Also, Antinous sounded confident that he could detect the Argo II. Hazel’s magic seemed to be obscuring the ship so far, but there was no telling how long that would last.**

**Jason had the intel they’d come for. Their goal was Athens. The safer route, or at least the not impossible route, was around the southern coast. Today was 20 July. They only had twelve days before Gaia planned to wake, on 1 August, the ancient Feast of Hope.**

**Jason and his friends needed to leave while they had the chance. But something else bothered him – a cold sense of foreboding, as if he hadn’t heard the worst news yet.** "

"So she would, essentially, destroy hope?" Reyna asked. 

Goldy shrugged, "That was the idea."

" **Eurymachus had mentioned Delphi. Jason had secretly hoped to visit the ancient site of Apollo’s Oracle, maybe get some insight into his personal future, but if the place had been overrun by monsters …**

 **He pushed aside his plate of cold food. "Sounds like everything is under control. For your sake, Antinous, I hope so. These demigods are resourceful. They closed the Doors of Death. We wouldn’t want them sneaking past you, perhaps getting help from Delphi."** "

"An Oracle?" Octavian scoffed, "There is no way the Greeks could have an Oracle."

"Well, it never mentioned the greeks, so I don't know how you came to that conclusion," Goldy said, "But the current host of the Oracle of Delfi, both now and in the future, is the clear sited mortal, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. I heard a rumor that when Kronos first took his mortal form, she hit him in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush."

She side eyed Nico, who was pursing his lips. He had been there during that particular encounter. Octavian scoffed. 

" **Antinous chuckled. "No risk of that. Delphi is no longer in Apollo’s control."**

**"I – I see. And if the demigods sail the long way around the Peloponnese?"**

**"You worry too much. That journey is never safe for demigods, and it’s much too far. Besides, Victory runs rampant in Olympia. As long as that’s the case, there is no way the demigods can win this war."** "

"Victoria?" Leila whispered. 

" **Jason didn’t understand what that meant either, but he nodded. "Very well. I will report as much to King Porphyrion. Thank you for the, er, meal."**

**Over at the fountain, Michael Varus called, "Wait."**

**Jason bit back a curse. He’d been trying to ignore the dead praetor, but now Varus walked over, surrounded in a hazy white aura, his deep-set eyes like sinkholes. At his side hung an Imperial gold gladius.**

**"You must stay," Varus said.**

**Antinous shot the ghost an irritated look. "What’s the problem, legionnaire? If Iros wants to leave, let him. He smells bad!"**

**The other ghosts laughed nervously. Across the courtyard, Piper shot Jason a worried glance. A little further away, Annabeth casually palmed a carving knife from the nearest platter of meat.** "

"This Annabeth girl sounds very strong, maybe Roman," Reyna said, "Who is her godly parent?"

"Athena," Goldy said, smiling. 

"Minerva is a maiden goddess," Reyna frowned, "It sounds disgraceful her greek form would have children."

Goldy's smile dropped. "Well, the Romans greatly disrespect Minerva. She used to be so powerful, and then the Romans took that away. She doesn't believe Romans are worthy of her demigod children, of soldiers as strong as Annabeth. I mean, she lived in New Rome for a while, but still. And for the record, children of Athena are born from her thoughts, from her head, like she was with Zeus. They still have usual human reproductive body parts, though."

Reyna stiffly nodded, and Goldy smiled again, motioning for her brother to keep reading. 

" **Varus rested his hand on the pommel of his sword. Despite the heat, his breastplate was glazed with ice. "I lost my cohort twice in Alaska – once in life, once in death to a Graecus named Percy Jackson. Still I have come here to answer Gaia’s call. Do you know why?"** "

The Romans sat forward in their seats. 

**"Jason swallowed. "Stubbornness?"  
"This is a place of longing," Varus said. "All of us are drawn here, sustained not only by Gaia’s power but also by our strongest desires. Eurymachus’s greed. Antinous’s cruelty."**

**"You flatter me," the ghoul muttered.**

**"Hasdrubal’s hatred," Varus continued. "Hippias’s bitterness. My ambition. And you, Iros. What has drawn you here? What does a beggar most desire? Perhaps a home?""**

"He knows," Reyna muttered. 

"Duh," Dakota said. 

" **An uncomfortable tingle started at the base of Jason’s skull – the same feeling he got when a huge electrical storm was about to break.**

**"I should be going," he said. "Messages to carry."**

**Michael Varus drew his sword. "My father is Janus, the god of two faces. I am used to seeing through masks and deceptions. Do you know, Iros, why we are so sure the demigods will not pass our island undetected?"**

**Jason silently ran through his repertoire of Latin cuss words.** "

A few Romans laughed, trying to defuse the tension. 

" **He tried to calculate how long it would take him to get out his emergency flare and fire it. Hopefully he could buy enough time for the girls to find shelter before this mob of dead guys slaughtered him.** "

"Wow, it seems I've been practicing my optimism," Jason muttered sarcastically. 

" **He turned to Antinous. "Look, are you in charge here or not? Maybe you should muzzle your Roman."**

**The ghoul took a deep breath. The arrow rattled in his throat. "Ah, but this might be entertaining. Go on, Varus."**

**The dead praetor raised his sword. "Our desires reveal us. They show us for who we really are. Someone has come for you, Jason Grace."**

**Behind Varus, the crowd parted. The shimmering ghost of a woman drifted forward, and Jason felt as if his bones were turning to dust.**

**"My dearest,"said his mother’s ghost. "You have come home."** "

Murmurs and groans of annoyance filled the hall as the chapter ended. Goldy took the book from her brother and waited for the rest of them to quiet. "Jason Chapter 3"

" **Somehow he knew her. He recognized her dress – a flowery green-and-red wraparound, like the skirt of a Christmas tree. He recognized the colourful plastic bangles on her wrists that had dug into his back when she hugged him goodbye at the Wolf House. He recognized her hair, an over-teased corona of dyed blonde curls and her scent of lemons and aerosol. Her eyes were blue like Jason’s, but they gleamed with fractured light, like she’d just come out of a bunker after a nuclear war – hungrily searching for familiar details in a changed world.** "

Goldy shivered. "It is no fun to meat your dead mother. From what I've heard, this one wasn't too pleasant."

" **"Dearest." She held out her arms. Jason’s vision tunnelled. The ghosts and ghouls no longer mattered. His Mist disguise burned off. His posture straightened. His joints stopped aching. His walking stick turned back into an Imperial gold gladius.** "

"Just great."

" **The burning sensation didn’t stop. He felt as if layers of his life were being seared away – his months at Camp Half-Blood, his years at Camp Jupiter, his training with Lupa the wolf goddess. He was a scared and vulnerable two-year-old again. Even the scar on his lip, from when he’d tried to eat a stapler as a toddler, stung like a fresh wound.** "

Goldy grinned and the Romans roared with laughter as Jason blushed. 

"You ate a stapler?!" Dakota weezed, "How could you even remember that?"

Jason blushed, "I don't remember. Maybe... Maybe I dreamt it?"

He looked to Goldy, but she didn't answer. 

" **"Mom?" he managed.**

**"Yes, dearest." Her image flickered. "Come, embrace me."**

**"You’re – you’re not real."**

**"Of course she is real." Michael Varus’s voice sounded far away. "Did you think Gaia would let such an important spirit languish in the Underworld? She is your mother, Beryl Grace, star of television, sweetheart to the king of Olympus, who rejected her not once but twice, in both his Greek and Roman aspects. She deserves justice as much as any of us."** "

"He what?!" The Romans were astonished. 

"I have a sibling?" Jason asked, "A—A greek, full-blooded sibling!?"

Nico was trying hard not to react, by now, having suspected this since he found out they had the same last name. Goldy smiled at him, "Tell you later, kay?"

" **Jason’s heart felt wobbly. The suitors crowded around him, watching.  
 _I’m their entertainment,_ Jason realized. The ghosts probably found this even more amusing than two beggars fighting to the death.**

**Piper’s voice cut through the buzzing in his head. "Jason, look at me."**

**She stood twenty feet away, holding her ceramic amphora. Her smile was gone. Her gaze was fierce and commanding – as impossible to ignore as the blue harpy feather in her hair.**

**"That isn’t your mother. Her voice is working some kind of magic on you – like charmspeak, but more dangerous. Can’t you sense it?"** "

"You're girlfriend is powerful," Reyna said, starting to feel genuinely alright about his relationship. 

" **"She’s right." Annabeth climbed onto the nearest table. She kicked aside a platter, startling a dozen suitors. "Jason, that’s only a remnant of your mother, like an ara, maybe, or –"**

 **"A remnant!" His mother’s ghost sobbed. "Yes, look what I have been reduced to. It’s Jupiter’s fault. He abandoned us. He wouldn’t help me! I didn’t want to leave you in Sonoma, my dear, but Juno and Jupiter gave me no choice. They wouldn’t allow us to stay together. Why fight for them now? Join these suitors. Lead them. We can be a family again!"** "

Jason flinched. He didn't like this. 

" **Jason felt hundreds of eyes on him. This has been the story of my life, he thought bitterly. Everyone had always watched him, expecting him to lead the way.**

**From the moment he’d arrived at Camp Jupiter, the Roman demigods had treated him like a prince in waiting. Despite his attempts to alter his destiny – joining the worst cohort, trying to change the camp traditions, taking the least glamorous missions and befriending the least popular kids – he had been made praetor anyway.**

**As a son of Jupiter, his future had been assured.** "

Jason's friends and the members of the fifth cohort didn't look offended in the slightest. They smiled at him, happy that he had at least tried. 

" **He remembered what Hercules had said to him at the Straits of Gibraltar: It’s not easy being a son of Zeus. Too much pressure. Eventually, it can make a guy snap.  
**

**Now Jason was here, drawn as taut as a bowstring.**

**"You left me," he told his mother. "That wasn’t Jupiter or Juno. That was you."** "

Goldy smiled, recognizing the hate Thalia always had for her surname. 

" **Beryl Grace stepped forward. The worry lines around her eyes, the pained tightness in her mouth reminded Jason of his sister, Thalia.** "

"That's her name? Thalia? Thalia Grace?" Jason asked Goldy, his eyes shining with hope and awe, "What's she like."

Goldy smirked, and Nico couldn't help but do so, too. "First of all, she doesn't use her last name. It's just Thalia. Second, she's nothing like you," Goldy said, "I think she's in this book, somewhere."

" **"Dearest, I told you I would come back. Those were my last words to you. Don’t you remember?"**

**Jason shivered.**

**In the ruins of the Wolf House his mother had hugged him one last time. She had smiled, but her eyes were full of tears. It’s all right, she had promised. But even as a little kid Jason had known it wasn’t all right.**

**_Wait here. I will be back for you, dearest. I will see you soon._ **

**She hadn’t come back. Instead, Jason had wandered the ruins, crying and alone, calling for his mother and for Thalia – until the wolves came for him.** "

Jason looked down, his eyes starting to water.   
Gwen pursed her lips, looking like she wanted to engulf him in a hug. She had always been like a big sister to him, ever since their old centurion, Wallace Drewer, had assigned Gwen to be his babysitter when she first joined the fifth cohort. 

" **His mother’s unkept promise was at the core of who he was. He’d built his whole life around the irritation of her words, like the grain of sand at the centre of a pearl.**

**People lie. Promises are broken. That was why, as much as it chafed him, Jason followed rules. He kept his promises. He never wanted to abandon anyone the way he’d been abandoned and lied to.**

**Now his mom was back, erasing the one certainty Jason had about her – that she’d left him forever.** "

"She did," Jason grumbled, his glare harsh on the floor in front of him. The Romans gave him sympathetic—and some empathetic— looks. 

" **Across the table, Antinous raised his goblet. "So pleased to meet you, son of Jupiter. Listen to your mother. You have many grievances against the gods. Why not join us? I gather these two serving girls are your friends? We will spare them. You wish to have your mother remain in the world? We can do that. You wish to be a king –"**

 **"No."Jason’s mind was spinning. "No, I don’t belong with you."** "

The entire hall unconsciously let out a breath in unison, and a few people chuckled. 

" **Michael Varus regarded him with cold eyes. "Are you so sure, my fellow praetor? Even if you defeat the giants and Gaia, would you return home like Odysseus did? Where is your home now? With the Greeks? With the Romans? No one will accept you. And, if you get back, who’s to say you won’t find ruins like this?"** "

"Why would he choose the Graecus over us?" Octavian sneered, but Goldy shot him a cold glare and he shut up. 

" **Jason scanned the palace courtyard. Without the illusory balconies and colonnades, there was nothing but a heap of rubble on a barren hilltop. Only the fountain seemed real, spewing forth sand like a reminder of Gaia’s limitless power.**

**"You were a legion officer," he told Varus. "A leader of Rome."**

**"So were you," Varus said. "Loyalties change."** "

"I'm not Praetor, either? I left the Legion?" Jason asked, "Was it for the Greeks?

Goldy shrugged, "Its... complicated."

" **"You think I belong with this crowd?"Jason asked. "A bunch of dead losers waiting for a free handout from Gaia, whining that the world owes them something?"**

**Around the courtyard, ghosts and ghouls rose to their feet and drew weapons.**

**"Beware!" Piper yelled at the crowd. "Every man in this palace is your enemy. Each one will stab you in the back at the first chance!"**

**Over the last few weeks, Piper’s charmspeak had become truly powerful.**

**She spoke the truth, and the crowd believed her. They looked sideways at one another, hands clenching the hilts of their swords.** "

"She's a daughter of Venus?" Leila asked, "She's not like any I've met, by a long shot."

"Aphrodite," Hazel shrugged, "Though she is much different then her Greek siblings, too."

“ **Jason’s mother stepped towards him. "Dearest, be sensible. Give up your quest. Your Argo II could never make the trip to Athens. Even if it did, there’s the matter of the Athena Parthenos."**

**A tremor passed through him. "What do you mean?"**

**"Don’t feign ignorance, my dearest. Gaia knows about your friend Reyna and Nico the son of Hades and the satyr Hedge. To kill them, the Earth Mother has sent her most dangerous son – the hunter who never rests. But you don’t have to die.""**

Reyna could barely register that her name was said because everyone was glaring at Nico, gasping at the revelation that he was a Greek son of Hades, not Pluto. 

"A Graecus coming to infiltrate us!" Octavian announced, but Goldy stepped up defensively. 

"He was given explicit orders from our father—"

"You don't have the same father!"

"He was given direct orders from _our father_ ," she spoke louder this time, shocking the legion, "To come to New Rome and oversee the Romans before they meet the Greeks. Nico stopped a war from happening! He traveled through the shadows with the Athena Parthenos on his back with a Greek _Satyr_ (not a faun) and Roman Praetor at his side, from the ancient lands of Rome all the way to the Greek Demigod Camp in Long Island, where he almost melted into literal fucking shadows!"

The hall was completely silent. Not only was she yelling, and not only did she look absolutely terrifying, but she said a swear word, which normally made her blush and have to fan herself. She stomped back to her seat and continued reading. 

" **The ghouls and ghosts closed in – two hundred of them facing Jason in anticipation, as if he might lead them in the national anthem.  
 _The hunter who never rests_. Jason didn’t know who that was, but he had to warn Reyna and Nico. Which meant he had to get out of here alive. **

**He looked at Annabeth and Piper. Both stood ready, waiting for his cue. He forced himself to meet his mother’s eyes.**

**She looked like the same woman who’d abandoned him in the Sonoma woods fourteen years ago. But Jason wasn’t a toddler any more. He was a battle veteran, a demigod who’d faced death countless times. And what he saw in front of him wasn’t his mother – at least, not what his mother should be – caring, loving, selflessly protective.**

**A remnant, Annabeth had called her. Michael Varus had told him that the spirits here were sustained by their strongest desires.**

**The spirit of Beryl Grace literally glowed with need. Her eyes demanded Jason’s attention. Her arms reached out, desperate to possess him.** "

"She doesn't sound like a good mother," Lavinia whispered, causing Dakota and Gwen to both snort, like 'Yeah, duh.'

" **"What do you want?" he asked. "What brought you here?"**

**"I want life!"she cried. "Youth! Beauty! Your father could have made me immortal. He could have taken me to Olympus, but he abandoned me. You can set things right, Jason. You are my proud warrior!" Her lemony scent turned acrid, as if she were starting to burn.**

**Jason remembered something Thalia had told him. Their mother had become increasingly unstable, until her despair had driven her crazy.**

**She had died in a car accident, the result of her driving while drunk.**

**The watered wine in Jason’s stomach churned. He decided that if he lived through this day he would never drink alcohol again.** "

Goldy winced, "I know a lot of demigods like that, who never drink because of their families. Sometimes I see young campers thinking about sneaking in alcohol, and I have to explain to them that the reason its banned has nothing to do with age restrictions, because it's not like the gods cared about that, but about the trauma."

Some legionnaires who had never thought about that nodded in understanding, slightly guilty. 

" **"You’re a mania,"Jason decided, the word coming to him from his studies at Camp Jupiter long ago. "A spirit of insanity. That’s what you’ve been reduced to."**

 **"I am all that remains," Beryl Grace agreed. Her image flickered through a spectrum of colours. "Embrace me, son. I am all you have left."** "

The Romans cringed. This was terrible. Not to mention he had plenty of people left, people who were his real family. The legion had always been his family, since he was young, and not to mention the sister and girlfriend he apparently had. 

" **The memory of the South Wind spoke in his mind: _You can’t choose your parentage. But you can choose your legacy._ Jason felt like he was being reassembled, one layer at a time. His heartbeat steadied. The chill left his bones. His skin warmed in the afternoon sun.   
"No," he croaked.**"

The Romans smiled at his bravery. With Goldy's next words, though, they deminished.

" **He glanced at Annabeth and Piper. "My loyalties haven’t changed. My family has just expanded. I’m a child of Greece and Rome."** "

"You're what?!" was gasped around the senate house, Jason's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and curiosity. Hazel glared at them and they all went quiet again, letting her finish the chapter. 

" **He looked back at his mother for the last time. "I’m no child of yours."**

**He made the ancient sign of warding off evil – three fingers thrust out from the heart – and the ghost of Beryl Grace disappeared with a soft hiss, like a sigh of relief.**

**The ghoul Antinous tossed aside his goblet. He studied Jason with a look of lazy disgust.**

**"Well, then," he said, "I suppose we’ll just kill you."**

**All around Jason, the enemies closed in.** And that's the chapter."

"I have a question," Jason said, and Goldy smiled sympathetically at him. 

"Sorry, I'm not aloud to answer," she said, "I'm sure it will be explained. Reyna? Will you read?"

Reyna nodded and took the book, "Jason, chapter four."

" **The fight was going great – until he got stabbed**."

"Off to a great start, I see," Prinjal snorted. 

" **Jason slashed his gladius in a wide arc, vaporizing the nearest suitors, then he vaulted onto the table and jumped right over Antinous’s head. In midair he willed his blade to extend into a javelin – a trick he’d never tried with this sword – but somehow he knew it would work.**

**He landed on his feet holding a six-foot-long pilum. As Antinous turned to face him, Jason thrust the Imperial gold point through the ghoul’s chest.**

**Antinous looked down incredulously. "You –"**

**"Enjoy the Fields of Punishment." Jason yanked out his pilum and Antinous crumbled to dirt.** "

"Wow, you've got mad skills, bro," Mike Kahale said. 

" **Jason kept fighting, spinning his javelin – slicing through ghosts, knocking ghouls off their feet.  
**

**Across the courtyard, Annabeth fought like a demon, too. Her drakon-bone sword scythed down any suitors stupid enough to face her.**

**Over by the sand fountain, Piper had also drawn her sword – the jagged bronze blade she’d taken from Zethes the Boread.**

**She stabbed and parried with her right hand, occasionally shooting tomatoes from the cornucopia in her left, while yelling at the suitors, "Save yourselves! I’m too dangerous!"**

**That must have been exactly what they wanted to hear, because her opponents kept running away, only to freeze in confusion a few yards downhill, then charge back into the fight.**

**The Greek tyrant Hippias lunged at Piper, his dagger raised, but Piper blasted him point-blank in the chest with a lovely pot roast. He tumbled backwards into the fountain and screamed as he disintegrated.** "

"Jason, whenever it is that you meet these girls, I want to become their best friends," Lavinia grinned, and a few other girls nodded. She mumbled under her breath so no one else could hear, “And where can I find one?” 

Goldy grinned at them, "They might visit in the next few chapters. I'm not sure, yet."

" **An arrow whistled towards Jason’s face. He blew it aside with a gust of wind, then cut through a line of sword-wielding ghouls and noticed a dozen suitors regrouping by the fountain to charge Annabeth.** "

"I haven't even met the girl and even I know that's a bad move," Gwen pointed out. 

" **He lifted his javelin to the sky. A bolt of lightning ricocheted off the point and blasted the ghosts to ions, leaving a smoking crater where the sand fountain had been.**

**Over the last few months, Jason had fought many battles, but he’d forgotten what it was like to feel good in combat. Of course he was still afraid, but a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.**

**For the first time since waking up in Arizona with his memories erased, Jason felt whole. He knew who he was. He had chosen his family, and it had nothing to do with Beryl Grace or even Jupiter.**

**His family included all the demigods who fought at his side, Roman and Greek, new friends and old. He wasn’t going to let anyone break his family apart.** "

Reyna stopped reading for a minute, and a few centurions scowled at the male Praetor, while his friends smiled warmly at him. 

" **He summoned the winds and flung three ghouls off the side of the hill like rag dolls. He skewered a fourth, then willed his javelin to shrink back to a sword and hacked through another group of spirits.**

**Soon no more enemies faced him.**

**The remaining ghosts began to disappear on their own. Annabeth cut down Hasdrubal the Carthaginian, and Jason made the mistake of sheathing his sword.**

**Pain flared in his lower back – so sharp and cold he thought Khione the snow goddess had touched him.** "

"Jason!" everyone gasped, and Goldy winced. 

" **Next to his ear, Michael Varus snarled, "Born a Roman, die a Roman." The tip of a golden sword jutted through the front of Jason’s shirt, just below his ribcage.**

**Jason fell to his knees.**

**Piper’s scream sounded miles away.**

**He felt like he’d been immersed in salty water – his body weightless, his head swaying.**

**Piper charged towards him. He watched with detached emotion as her sword passed over his head and cut through Michael Varus’s armour with a metallic ka-chunk.**

**A burst of cold parted Jason’s hair from behind. Dust settled around him, and an empty legionnaire’s helmet rolled across the stones.**

**The evil demigod was gone – but he had made a lasting impression.** "

As Reyna read, tears started to stream down her face, and Jason had to pull her into a hug for a few minutes to get her to stop. 

" **"Jason!" Piper grabbed his shoulders as he began to fall sideways.**

**He gasped as she pulled the sword out of his back. Then she lowered him to the ground, propping his head against a stone.**

**Annabeth ran to their side. She had a nasty cut on the side of her neck. "Gods." Annabeth stared at the wound in Jason’s gut. "Oh, gods."**

**"Thanks,"Jason groaned. "I was afraid it might be bad." His arms and legs started to tingle as his body went into crisis mode, sending all the blood to his chest. The pain was dull, which surprised him, but his shirt was soaked red. The wound was smoking. He was pretty sure sword wounds weren’t supposed to smoke.** "

"Yeah, I think so, too," Leila, muttered. 

" **"You’re going to be fine."Piper spoke the words like an order. Her tone steadied his breathing. "Annabeth, ambrosia!"**

**Annabeth stirred. "Yeah. Yeah, I got it." She ripped through her supply pouch and unwrapped a piece of godly food.**

**"We have to stop the bleeding."** **Piper used her dagger to cut fabric from the bottom of her dress. She ripped the cloth into bandages. Jason dimly wondered how she knew so much first aid.** "

"Training, duh," Goldy shrugged, "Even if she had her first quest, like, a day after arriving at Camp Half Blood, she had months before they boarded the Argo II. It wouldn't be surprising if she spent some time in the infirmary, learning stuff like that. I mean, she's pretty good friends with Will, but that could just be..." she eyed Nico, "Never mind."

" **"She wrapped the wounds on his back and stomach while Annabeth pushed tiny bites of ambrosia into his mouth.**

**Annabeth’s fingers trembled. After all the things she’d been through, Jason found it odd that she would freak out now while Piper acted so calm.**

**Then it occurred to him – Annabeth could afford to be scared for him. Piper couldn’t. She was completely focused on trying to save him.**

**Annabeth fed him another bite. "Jason, I – I’m sorry. About your mom. But the way you handled it … that was so brave."  
**

**Jason tried not to close his eyes. Every time he did, he saw his mom’s spirit disintegrating. "It wasn’t her," he said. "At least, no part of her I could save. There was no other choice."**

**Annabeth took a shaky breath. "No other right choice, maybe, but … a friend of mine, Luke. His mom … similar problem. He didn’t handle it as well."** "

"Who's Luke?" Jason couldn't help but ask Goldy, who cringed. 

"Luke Castellan, son of Hermes," she said, reciting it like a book, "When he was fourteen and Thalia was twelve, they found seven-year-old Annabeth behind a dumpster and the three of them went on the run together before Grover, a Satyr, managed to get them back to Camp Half Blood. Luke's mom, May Castellan, I think, tried to take the spirit of the Oracle of Delfi when he was a baby, but it rejected her, because it was cursed. Since the sixties, the Oracle has just been a mummy in the greek's attic, not able to change bodies. She went insane, seing Luke's terrible fate. Luke... he joined Kronos. He was his most loyal follower. When the Titan lord rose, he used Luke's body as a vessel, and in the end, Luke was the hero killed him. Killed himself, too."

The Romans flinched. It wasn't a pleasing story. 

" **Her voice broke. Jason didn’t know much about Annabeth’s past, but Piper glanced over in concern.  
"I’ve bandaged as much as I can," she said. "Blood is still soaking through. And the smoke. I don’t get that." **

**"Imperial gold," Annabeth said, her voice quavering. "It’s deadly to demigods. It’s only a matter of time before –"** "

"Deadly?" Frank asked, "Like, it is able to kill is, deadly, or its covered in poison and if we touch it, deadly?"

The romans squirmed uncomfortably, and he winced at the silent answer. 

" **"He’ll be all right," Piper insisted. "We’ve got to get him back to the ship."**

**"I don’t feel that bad,"Jason said. And it was true. The ambrosia had cleared his head. Warmth was seeping back into his limbs. "Maybe I could fly …" Jason sat up. His vision turned a pale shade of green. "Or maybe not …"**

**Piper caught his shoulders as he keeled sideways. "Whoa, Sparky. We need to contact the Argo II, get help."**

**"You haven’t called me Sparky in a long time."**

**Piper kissed his forehead. "Stick with me and I’ll insult you all you want."**

**Annabeth scanned the ruins. The magic veneer had faded, leaving only broken walls and excavation pits. "We could use the emergency flares, but –"**

**"No,"Jason said. "Leo would blast the top of the hill with Greek fire. Maybe, if you guys helped me, I could walk –"**

**"Absolutely not," Piper objected. "That would take too long." She rummaged in her belt pouch and pulled out a compact mirror.** "

"Ah, there's the Venus blood," Octavian muttered in distaste. Needless to say, Goldy glared at him. 

" **"Annabeth, you know Morse code?"**

**"Of course."**

**"So does Leo." Piper handed her the mirror. "He’ll be watching from the ship. Go to the ridge –"**

**"And flash him!"** "

The entire hall burst out laughing. It took a few minutes for everyone to calm down. 

" **Annabeth’s face reddened. "That came out wrong. But, yeah, good idea." She ran to the edge of the ruins.**

**Piper pulled out a flask of nectar and gave Jason a sip. "Hang in there. You are not dying from a stupid body piercing."**

**Jason managed a weak smile. "At least it wasn’t a head injury this time. I stayed conscious the entire fight."** "

Goldy grinned, "Half your injuries are from Bricks to the head, alone."

"What?" Jason asked. 

Goldy chuckled and waved him off. 

" **"You defeated, like, two hundred enemies," Piper said. "You were scary amazing."**

**"You guys helped."**

**"Maybe, but … Hey, stay with me."**

**Jason’s head started to droop. The cracks in the stones came into sharper focus. "Little dizzy," he muttered. "More nectar,"**

**Piper ordered. "There. Taste okay?"**

**"Yeah. Yeah, fine." In fact the nectar tasted like liquid sawdust, but Jason kept that to himself. Ever since the House of Hades when he’d resigned his praetorship, ambrosia and nectar didn’t taste like his favorite foods from Camp Jupiter. It was as if the memory of his old home no longer had the power to heal him.**

**_Born a Roman, die a Roman_ , Michael Varus had said.**"

The Romans eyed their Praetor again. It was like he didn't _want_ to be Roman. 

" **He looked at the smoke curling from his bandages. He had worse things to worry about than blood loss.**

**Annabeth was right about Imperial gold. The stuff was deadly to demigods as well as monsters. The wound from Varus’s blade would do its best to eat away at Jason’s life force.**

**He’d seen a demigod die like that once before. It hadn’t been fast or pretty.**

**_I can’t die_ , he told himself. _My friends are depending on me_.**

**Antinous’s words rang in his ears – about the giants in Athens, the impossible trip facing the Argo II, the mysterious hunter Gaia had sent to intercept the Athena Parthenos. "Reyna, Nico and Coach Hedge," he said. "They’re in danger. We need to warn them."** "

Nico and Reyna both, once again, looked puzzled. 

" **"We’ll take care of it when we get back to the ship," Piper promised. "Your job right now is to relax." Her tone was light and confident, but her eyes brimmed with tears. "Besides, those three are a tough group. They’ll be fine."**

**Jason hoped she was right.**

**Reyna had risked so much to help them.**

**Coach Hedge was annoying sometimes, but he’d been a loyal protector for the entire crew.**

**And Nico … Jason felt especially worried about him.** "

Both Nico and Jason frowned. The son of Hades almost asked why, but he was too afraid to ask. 

" **Piper brushed her thumb against the scar on his lip. "Once the war is over … everything will work out for Nico. You’ve done what you could, being a friend to him."**

**Jason wasn’t sure what to say. He hadn’t told Piper anything about his conversations with Nico. He’d kept di Angelo’s secret.**

**Still … Piper seemed to sense what was wrong. As a daughter of Aphrodite, maybe she could tell when somebody was struggling with heartache.** "

Nico scowled ruefully as a few Romans snickered. He really wanted to stab something, but he wasn't aloud to have his sword inside the pomerian line. 

" **She hadn’t pressured Jason to talk about it, though. He appreciated that.**

**Another wave of pain made him wince.**

**"Concentrate on my voice." Piper kissed his forehead. "Think about something good. Birthday cake in the park in Rome –"**

**"That was nice."**

**"Last winter,"she suggested. "The s’mores fight at the campfire."**

**"I totally got you."**

**"You had marshmallows in your hair for days!"**

**"I did not." Jason’s mind drifted back to better times.** "

Reyna looked up at Goldy, "You weren't kidding when you said that the Greek's camp was more like a summer camp."

Goldy shrugged, "Why would I? A bit over a dozen people stay year round, though. They consider that part of the year 'alone time' or whatever. Sometimes, if there aren't any Athena kids that year, Chiron doesn't make them do home school."

”Do you have experience with this knowledge?” Nico asked, not really wanting his sister to be spending any time at the Greek camp. 

“No, but you do,” she said, shocking him into silence. 

" **He just wanted to stay there – talking with Piper, holding her hand, not worrying about giants or Gaia or his mother’s madness.**

**He knew they should get back to the ship. He was in bad shape. They had the information they’d come for.**

**But as he lay there on the cool stones, Jason felt a sense of incompleteness. The story of the suitors and Queen Penelope … his thoughts about family … his recent dreams.**

**Those things all swirled around in his head. There was something more to this place – something he’d missed.**

**Annabeth came back limping from the edge of the hill. "Are you hurt?"Jason asked her.**

**Annabeth glanced at her ankle. "It’s fine. Just the old break from the Roman caverns. Sometimes when I’m stressed … That’s not important. I signalled Leo. Frank’s going to change form, fly up here and carry you back to the ship. I need to make a litter to keep you stable."**

**Jason had a terrifying image of himself in a hammock, swinging between the claws of Frank the giant eagle, but he decided it would be better than dying.** "

"Frank?" Hazel frowned, her voice a little hopeful, "Our Frank?"

"What do they mean, change form?" Frank asked, "I... do you have a bird named Frank or something?"

"You're maternally a descendant of Periclymenus, so you can change form into different animals," Goldy explained, and quickly added, “You don't have to try it now. 

" **Annabeth set to work. She collected scraps left behind by the suitors – a leather belt, a torn tunic, sandal straps, a red blanket and a couple of broken spear shafts. Her hands flew across the materials – ripping, weaving, tying, braiding.**

**"How are you doing that?"Jason asked in amazement.  
**

**"Learned it during my quest under Rome." Annabeth kept her eyes on her work. "I’d never had a reason to try weaving before, but it’s handy for certain things, like getting away from spiders …"**

**She tied off one last bit of leather cord and voilà – a stretcher large enough for Jason, with spear shafts as carrying handles and safety straps across the middle.**

**Piper whistled appreciatively. "The next time I need a dress altered, I’m coming to you"** "

"Yeah, no kidding," Marilyn muttered. 

" **"Shut up, McLean," Annabeth said, but her eyes glinted with satisfaction. "Now, let’s get him secured –"**

**"Wait,"Jason said. His heart pounded. Watching Annabeth weave the makeshift bed, Jason had remembered the story of Penelope – how she’d held out for twenty years, waiting for her husband Odysseus to return. "A bed,"Jason said. "There was a special bed in this palace."**

**Piper looked worried. "Jason, you’ve lost a lot of blood."**

**"I’m not hallucinating," he insisted. "The marriage bed was sacred. If there was any place you could talk to Juno …" He took a deep breath and called, "Juno!"**

**Silence. Maybe Piper was right. He wasn’t thinking clearly.**

**Then, about sixty feet away, the stone floor cracked. Branches muscled through the earth, growing in fast motion until a full-sized olive tree shaded the courtyard. Under a canopy of grey-green leaves stood a dark-haired woman in a white dress, a leopard-skin cape draped over her shoulders. Her staff was topped with a white lotus flower. Her expression was cool and regal.** "

"You just... _called_ the Queen of the Gods?" Larry gaped at Jason, who shrugged uncomfortably. 

" **"My heroes,"said the goddess.**

**"Hera," Piper said.**

**"Juno,"Jason corrected.**

**"Whatever," Annabeth grumbled. "What are you doing here, Your Bovine Majesty?"**

**Juno’s dark eyes glittered dangerously. "Annabeth Chase. As charming as ever."**

**"Yeah, well," Annabeth said, "I just got back from Tartarus, so my manners are a little rusty, especially towards goddesses who wiped my Boyfriend’s memory, made him disappear for months and then –"**

**"Honestly, child. Are we going to rehash this again?"** "

"She had a point, but she can't be that disrespectful to her!" Larry said in horror, "She's a goddes—the _Queen_ of the gods!"

" **"Aren’t you supposed to be suffering from split-personality disorder?" Annabeth asked. "I mean – more so than usual?"**

 **"Whoa,"Jason interceded. He had plenty of reasons to hate Juno, but they had other issues to deal with.** "

"Thank you," Larry muttered in relief. 

" **"Juno, we need your help. We –"Jason tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. His insides felt like they were being twirled on a giant spaghetti fork.**

**Piper kept him from falling over. "First things first,"she said. "Jason is hurt. Heal him!"**

**The goddess knitted her eyebrows. Her form shimmered unsteadily. "Some things even the gods cannot heal,"she said. "This wound touches your soul as well as your body. You must fight it, Jason Grace … you must survive."** "

Gwen huffed, "I'm starting to get what Annabeth was saying."

" **"Yeah, thanks," he said, his mouth dry. "I’m trying."**

**"What do you mean, the wound touches his soul?" Piper demanded. "Why can’t you –"**

**"My heroes, our time together is short," Juno said. "I am grateful that you called upon me. I have spent weeks in a state of pain and confusion … my Greek and Roman natures warring against each other. Worse, I’ve been forced to hide from Jupiter, who searches for me in his misguided wrath, believing that I caused this war with Gaia."**

**"Gee," Annabeth said, "why would he think that?"** "

"What happened, anyway?" Nico asked, genuinely worried. 

Goldy shrugged, "It might say."

" **Juno flashed her an irritated look. "Fortunately, this place is sacred to me. By clearing away those ghosts, you have purified it and given me a moment of clarity. I will be able to speak with you – if only briefly."**

**"Why is it sacred … ?" Piper’s eyes widened. "Oh. The marriage bed!"**

**"Marriage bed?" Annabeth asked. "I don’t see any –"**

**"The bed of Penelope and Odysseus," Piper explained. "One of its bedposts was a living olive tree, so it could never be moved."**

**"Indeed."Juno ran her hand along the olive tree’s trunk. "An immovable marriage bed. Such a beautiful symbol! Like Penelope, the most faithful wife, standing her ground, fending off a hundred arrogant suitors for years because she knew her husband would return. Odysseus and Penelope – the epitome of a perfect marriage!"**

**Even in his dazed state, Jason was pretty sure he remembered stories about Odysseus falling for other women during his travels, but he decided not to bring that up.**

“ **Can you advise us, at least?" he asked. "Tell us what to do?"**

**"Sail around the Peloponnese,"said the goddess. "As you suspect, that is the only possible route. On your way, seek out the goddess of victory in Olympia. She is out of control. Unless you can subdue her, the rift between Greek and Roman can never be healed."  
**

**"You mean Nike?" Annabeth asked. "How is she out of control?"**

**Thunder boomed overhead, shaking the hill.**

**"Explaining would take too long,"Juno said. "I must flee before Jupiter finds me. Once I leave, I will not be able to help you again."**

**Jason bit back a retort: _When did you help me the first time?_ **"

"Damn, Jay."

" **"What else should we know?" he asked.**

**"As you heard, the giants have gathered in Athens. Few gods will be able to help you on your journey, but I am not the only Olympian who is out of favor with Jupiter. The twins have also incurred his wrath."**

**"Artemis and Apollo?" Piper asked. "Why?"**

**Juno’s image began to fade. "If you reach the island of Delos, they might be prepared to help you. They are desperate enough to try anything to make amends. Go now. Perhaps we will meet again in Athens, if you succeed. If you do not …"**

**The goddess disappeared, or maybe Jason’s eyesight simply failed. Pain rolled through him. His head lolled back. He saw a giant eagle circling high above. Then the blue sky turned black, and Jason saw nothing at all.** "

"Please tell me I'm not dead," Jason asked Goldy, as Reyna announced the end of the chapter. 

"No," Goldy shook her head, "But I have to leave, now. Your chapters are over. Someone else will take my place. They might be... familiar."

There was a flash, and someone stumbled from the spot where Goldy stood before. They looked older, less pale, more muscular, and an inch or two taller than their younger self. His dark brown eyes looked up, and he scanned the crowd. "Um, hey."

"Di Angelo?" Jason asked. The older Nico turned around and gave him a small smile, and a chuckle, which concerned some of the legion. 

"Hey, mini-Jase. Man, you're so much younger," he said. He looked ver the other side of the room, pointedly avoiding the gaze of his younger self and Hazel, who's mouth was dropped open. 

"You look happier," Hazel said, and he chose to look at her. 

Di Angelo shrugged, "Yeah, I just had to realize that some people might actually care about me," he chuckled, "I actually have tons of, well, not really just friends, they're all like overprotective older siblings."

Nico gave him a puzzled look, "Really?"

Di Angelo nodded, "Yeah. Now, can I read. It'll probably be embarrassing but all of my dignity has gone down the drain in the past five years."

"Why, are you in this chapter?" Reyna asked him, handing him the book. 

"Yup," he said, then opened to the next page, "Chapter five, Reyna."


End file.
